Poor hydration enhances the activation energy of the exchange rate of the base-paired imino protons with water at the core part of the DNA duplex

Here we report the exchange rates (k_{e x}) of imino protons of d[^5′p(T¹G²T³T⁴T⁵G⁶G⁷C⁸)^3′]:d[^{3∼'(A15C14A13A12A11C10C9)p5′}] (duplex I) with water at different pH and temperature to give the life-times (τ_o) of the closed state of the base-pairs. The τ_o of the closed state of the base-pairs is uniform (E_a ≈ 25 ± 5 kcal/mol) in the duplex I, and varies between 0.2 – 4 ms. A plot of the natural log of various exchange rates of the imino protons of the base-pair of the duplex I within the pH range of 6.1 to 8.6 as a function of the inverse of temperature gave the activation energy (E_a) of the exchange process of imino protons with the bound water (hydration). It has been found that although τ_o are in the same range but the E_a of the exchange processes of the open state of imino protons with the bound water are very different, and they are strongly dependent upon the location of the nucleotide residues along the DNA duplex: 22.3±3.3 kcal/mol for the core base-pair T⁴-A¹², 16.2±2.4 kcal/mol for the base-pair T⁵-A¹¹, 10.5±1.6 kcal/mol for the base-pair T³-A¹³. 12.3±1.8 kcal/mol for the base-pair G⁶-C¹⁰ and 2.4±0.4 kcal/mol for the base-pair G²-C¹⁴. The comparison of the activation energies of the exchange process of imino protons and water with that of the water abundance in the first spine of hydration between fully-matched duplex I and the analogous G⁷-A⁹ mismatched duplex II, (d[^5′p(T¹G²T³T⁴T⁵G⁶G⁷C⁸)^3′]: d[^3′(A¹⁵C¹⁴A¹³A¹²A¹¹C¹⁰A⁹)p^5′], determined by a combination of NOESY and ROESY experiments, suggests for the first time that the relative exchange of imino protons of the base-pairs in the DNA duplex is more rapid when there is an abundance of water at the first spine of hydration. This result also showed unambiguously that the core of the DNA is by and large devoid of water and the energy penalty of water entering the core is very high. This is consistent with our earlier work which showed that as the water activity in the minor and major groove of DNA increases, the T_m decreases (ref. 1), suggesting the water poisoning as the principal factor for base-pair mismatch, frame-shift and mutation in our DNA replication machinery.     

The preparation of the 239Np tracer from 243Am and the purification of the stock solution

The present work describes preparation of ²³⁹Np tracer from ²⁴³Am stock solution and the purification of this solution from ferric cation. The method of the preparation of tracer involves stabilization of Np(IV) by ascorbic acid and ferric nitrate, separation of ²³⁹Np from ²⁴³Am by extraction chromatography and determination of recoveries of ²³⁹Np by means of gamma spectroscopy. We used the commercially available sorbents TEVA^®Resin for the ²³⁹Np preparation and DGA Resin for ²⁴³Am purification. All sorbents were purchased from Eichrom Industries, Inc. The first eluate from the column can be stored for a future preparation of the tracer and fraction with ²³⁹Np will be used to monitor radiochemical yield of ²³⁷Np.     

Effect of desolvation of the reactants during change in the acidity of the medium on the electrophilic hydroxylation and nitration of alkanes

The effect of the acidity of the medium on the hydroxylation and nitration of alkanes (RH) in 90–98% H₂SO₄ at 25°C is described quantitatively by a model taking account of the thermodynamic activity of the RH, H₂O, and HSO₄^- particles. It was concluded that in the transition states the reagents H₃O₂⁺HSO₄^- and NO₂⁺ HSO₄^- are present as HO⁺ and NO₂⁺ ions without the bases H–O and HSO₄^-, the alkanes are present without hydrophobic shells, and the initial reaction products are ROH₂⁺ and RNO₂H⁺.     

210Pb and 210Po concentrations in the Venice lagoon ecosystem (Italy) and the potential radiological impact to the local public and environment

In order to evaluate the possible radiological impact to the local public and environment from a phosphogypsum stockpile, ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in river water, lagoon water, suspended matter, superficial sediment, algae and bivalves samples collected in Venice lagoon area have been investigated. The results show that the mean ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in river water are 1.42±0.36 mBq^.l^-1 and 1.46±0.39 mBq^.l^-1 with a mean ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb ratio of 0.98±0.17 and about 60% of them are associated with the particulate; ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb contribution from the phosphogypsum stockpile to the river water is negligible. Higher ²¹⁰Po (2.61-5.67 mBq^.l^-1) and ²¹⁰Pb (1.31-3.62 mBq^.l^-1) concentrations in the lagoon waters have been observed if compared with the literature values. About 60% of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb are found in the soluble form with a mean ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb ratio of 1.79±1.47. ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in 28 out 37 sediment samples ranged from 26 to 45 Bq^.kg^-1 (dry weight), only 9 sediments with ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations greater than 45 Bq^.kg^-1 are found and most of them are located 1-4 km near the phosphogypsum stockpile. The elevated ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in the sediments may be due to the contamination from the phosphogypsum stockpile. The mean ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb ratio (0.986±0.049) in the sediments shows that ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb exist in nearly secular equilibrium. ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in algae vary with different species. The mean ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in Gracilaria compress and Ulva laetevirens which show a similar behavior, are 3.18±1.23 Bq^.kg^-1 and 2.42±1.26 Bq^.kg^-1 (fresh weight), respectively, with a mean ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb ratio of 1.45±0.34. The mean concentration factors with respect to the filtered water are 1096±424 for ²¹⁰Po and 1299±680 for ²¹⁰Pb. The mean ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in the soft part of Mytilus edulis are 23.2±9.7 Bq^.kg^-1 and 0.537±0.203 Bq^.kg^-1 (fresh weight), respectively, with a mean ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb ratio of 43.6±10.0. The mean concentration factors with respect to the filtered water are 8006±3351 for ²¹⁰Po and 290±109 for ²¹⁰Pb, showing a very high accumulation effect for ²¹⁰Po. The accumulation behaviors of Cerastoderma glaucum and Tapes philippinarum for ²¹⁰Po are similar to Mytilus edulis, but that for ²¹⁰Pb seems less effective, corresponding to a relatively higher ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb ratio. The estimated committed effective doses from ²¹⁰Po for the individual local public through ingestion of bivalves are in the range of 0.050-0.231 mSv^.y^-1.     

On the tensor polarizabilities in the 4f N 6s 2 ground levels of the neutral rare-earth atoms

A systematic study of the Stark splitting of the 4f ^N 6s ² ground levels in the lanthanides was performed by the nonlinear level-crossing technique and the optical pumping method with rf detection in parallel electric and magnetic fields. The tensor polarizabilities of the hyperfine structure levels in¹⁴¹Pr I,¹⁵⁹Tb I,¹⁶⁵Ho I,¹⁶⁹Tm I and of the fine structure levels in¹⁴²Nd I,¹⁶⁴Dy I, and¹⁶⁶Er I were deduced from the level-crossing and rf signals. Values of the tensor polarizability of the 4f electron were evaluated from the experimental results. On average these values decrease with the increasing number of 4f electrons from the value of¹⁴¹Pr (4f ³ 6s ²) α₂(4f)=1.16(12) kHz/(kV/cm)² to the value of¹⁶⁹Tm (4f ¹³6s ²) α₂(4f)=0.68(4) kHz/(kV/cm)². This decrease is caused by the lanthanides contraction.     

Calculation of the potential energy curves for the low-lying doublet and quartet states of the CN radical

The potential energy curves of the low-lying X²Σ⁺, A²π_i, B²Σ⁺,⁴Σ⁺, and ⁴π states of CN are calculated by the MC SCF (CAS SCF) method. Their vibrational levels and the molecular constants obtained are in good agreement with those determined in our recent experimental analysis of the CN (B²Σ⁺-X²Σ⁺) emission spectrum. several intensity anomalies in the observed spectrum are ascribed to perturbations between the B²Σ⁺ and ⁴π states with the following vibrational quantum numbers: (υ_B, υ_π)=(9,x), (11, x+2), (12, x+3), (14, x+6), (17, x+11), and (18, x+13), where x = 0 is the most probable assignment. Likewise, the perturbations between the B²Σ⁺ and ⁴Σ⁺ states with (υ_B, υ_Σ) = (11, y), (13, y+3) are interpreted as y = 8±1.     

Effect of the Nature of the Cation on the Physicochemical Properties of d-Metal Complexes with α,α-Dipyrrolylmethene

Complexes of Cu^{2 +}, Ni^{2 +}, Co^{2 +}, Zn^{2 +}, and Hg^{2 +} with 4,4'-dibutyl-3,3',5,5'-tetramethyldipyrrolylmethene were synthesized. The stoichiometric compositions of the complexes in solution and in crystal were determined, and their electronic absorption spectra and thermooxidative degradation were studied.     

Theoretical characterization of the ground state of the alkaline-earth monocarbides: Ordering of the two lower-lying states of the BeC,MgC, and CaC molecules

The two lower-lying electronic states (³Σ⁻ and ⁵Σ⁻) of the BeC, MgC, and CaC molecules were investigated using restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF), generalized valence bond (GVB), and configuration interaction (CI) calculations to establish the relative ordering of those states as a function of the size of the alkaline-earth element. It is shown that as a result of the competition between bonding effects, which predominate for the ³Σ⁻ states, and exchange effects, which stabilize the ⁵Σ⁻ states, the ordering of these states can be reversed as we move from the Be to the Ca atom. For both the BeC and MgC molecules, the ground state was found to be a triplet X³Σ⁻ state, but for the CaC molecule, the high-spin X⁵Σ⁻ becomes more stable. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Mass-analyzed threshold ionization spectroscopy of pyrimidine: determining the geometry in the first excited and the ionic ground states

Vibrational spectra of the pyrimidine cation in the electronic ground state were measured via several intermediate states of the first excited state (0⁰,16a¹, 16a², 16a⁴, 16b¹, 10b¹, 6b², 6a¹, 1¹, 4¹, 4² and 12¹) by mass-analyzed threshold ionization spectroscopy. For the first time, several vibrational modes could be assigned in the first excited and the ionic ground states. Anharmonic coupling is shown to occur in the first excited state due to Fermi resonance between the 1¹ and the 16a⁴ vibrations. From the results of the measurements and calculations presented here, pyrimidine is predicted to be planar in the first excited and the ionic ground states, and it belongs to the C_2V point group.     

On the energy difference between the lP and 3P states of the beryllium isoelectronic sequence

Wave functions of the ¹S (ground state), ³P and ¹P states for the beryllium isoelectronic sequence have been obtained in various approximations. The HF ²p orbitals for the ¹P and ³P states are similar except for Be, where the ²p orbital is quite diffuse for the ¹P state. The difference between the experimental E(¹P) – E(³P) and the HF E(¹P) – E(³P) is 0.62 eV for Be and 1.17 ～ 1.40 eV for B⁺ ～ F⁵⁺. The disagreements are attributed to the correlation effects between the 2s and 2p electrons. This is confirmed by ci calculations. It is shown that a limited basis SCF calculation reproduces the above feature of the HF results if we treat the orbital exponents as the variational parameters. The use of the Slater values for the orbital exponents is shown to be inadequate especially for the Be ¹P state. The conclusions of this paper will be useful for discussing the V–T separations of H₂ and C₂H₄.     

Determination of the attenuation of epicadmium neutrons using the method of varying Cd-thickness

A new approach is presented for experimental determination of the cadmium correction factor F_Cd using the method of varyind Cd-thickness. In this method, the shift of the effective Cd cut-off value by varying the Cd-thickness was taken into consideration F_Cd for the following isotopes was determined with 1 mm cadmium covers^110mAg,^114mIn,¹²²Sb,¹⁴⁰La,¹⁵³Sm,^116mIn,¹⁶⁰Tb,¹⁶⁶Ho,^176mLu,¹⁸⁸Re,¹⁹²Ir,¹⁹⁴Ir¹⁹⁸Au,²³³Pa and²³⁹Np.     

Message to the participants of the conference

The activity of²³²Th and its daughters in Th-based gas sockets is required for health risk assessment. By absolute measurement of the²²⁸Ac- and²¹²Pb/²⁰⁸Tl-activities, the total activity of the sockets can be assessed. It is governed by²²⁸Ra and²²⁸Th and the product age.     

Accurate values for the nonrelativistic energies of the lowest singlet and triplet S-states of the4He-Isotop

Accurate lower and upper bounds for the nonrelativistic lowest energies¹ E ₀ and³ E ₀ of the singlet and triplet-system of the⁴He-Isotop are calculated with the linearized method of variance minimization. The same was done for¹ E ₁ the energy of the first excitedS-state 2¹ S. The results especially for¹ E ₀ and³ E ₀ in a.u. are −2.9033076997₅ ≤¹ E ₀ ≤ −2.9033076921₈ −2.1749324263₇ ≤³ E ₀ ≤ −2.1749324245₉ i.e. the values are determined with an absolute error smaller than 0.00167 cm⁻¹ for¹ E ₀ and 0.00039 cm⁻¹ for³ E ₀.     

On the structure of the diagonal conditions

Some structural features of the diagonal problem of reduced density matrix theory are investigated by considering the cone B^r introduced elsewhere. In some special cases, we discover a very tight connection between the group structure of G^r, the invariance group of B^r, and the convex structure of B^r. We also state a general theorem that relates the convex structure of B^r to the group structure of G^r.     

Estimation of a priori errors in ab initio calculations of thermochemical values for the example of the dissociation energies of the ZnO and ZnS molecules

The total energies of ZnO(¹Σ), ZnO(³Π), ZnO^?(²Σ), ZnO⁺(²Σ), ZnS(¹Σ), ZnS(³Π), ZnS^?(²Σ), and ZnS⁺(²Σ) were calculated ab initio by the CCSD(T) method with the use of atomic basis sets including 80, 84, and 93 functions for O, S, and Zn, respectively. Similar calculations were performed for the Zn atom [Zn(¹ S), Zn(³ P), Zn⁺(² S), Zn²⁺(¹ S)] and several oxygen and sulfur states [O(³ P), O^?(² S), O(¹ D), O₂(³Σ), O ₂ ^? (²Π), O₂(¹Δ), S(³ P), S^?(² S), S(¹ D), S₂(³Σ), S ₂ ^? (²Π), and S₂(¹Δ)]. The ideology of engagement groups suggested by us is considered. According to this approach, data treatment can be performed on the assumption that the errors in all the 24 results obey the normal distribution law. As a result, we obtained D _e(ZnO) = 1.70 ± 0.21 and D _e(ZnS) = 1.57 ± 0.25 eV (at a 95% confidence level).     

A pulse radiolysis study of the reactions of the hydrated electron and hydroxyl radical with the oxalate ion in neutral aqueous solution

The rate constants of the reactions of e _aq ^? and the OH^· radical with the oxalate ion in a neutral aqueous solution were measured by means of the pulse radiolysis technique. They were found to be (3.5 ± 0.5) × 10⁷ and (1.5 ± 0.2) × 10⁷ l mol^?1 s^?1, respectively. The radical anion ^?OOC-C^·OO^2? is characterized by an optical absorption band that has a maximum at 270 nm and a molar absorption coefficient of (2400 ± 200) l mol^?1 cm^?1. The radical anion ^·OOC-COO^?, the product of the reaction with the OH^· radical, exhibits absorption that has no maximum and increases in intensity with a decrease in the wavelength extending to the UV region (?₂₂₀ = 1800 l mol^?1 cm^?1). The mechanism of radiation-chemical transformations in aqueous oxalate solutions is discussed.     

Conditions for the Chemical Precipitation of the Starting Substances from Solutions for the Synthesis of Aluminospinels

The precipitation of hydroxides from the Mg^{2 +}-Al^{3 +}-An^--H₂O system (An = NO₃ ^-, Cl^-, SO₄ ^{2 -}) at the initial spinel molar ratio Mg^{2 +} : Al^{3 +} = 1 : 2 was studied. The optimal conditions were found for obtaining the precipitates exhibiting the best properties in the manufacturing sense; their subsequent heat treatment yields a single phase of aluminomagnesium spinel.     

Studies on the effect of the cation nature on the kinetics of the isotopic exchange reaction between chloride ion and O,O-diphenylphosphorochloridothionate in acetonitrile

Rate constants and activation parameters for the isotopic exchange reactions between (PhO)₂PSCl and M³⁶Cl (M = Me₄N⁺, Et₄N⁺, n-Bu₄N⁺, Et₃HN⁺, EtH₃N⁺, Li⁺) in acetonitrile were measured in order to find the effect of the cation nature onthe kinetics of the reaction. The rate constants measured for a range of concentrations of Et₃HN³⁶Cl, EtH₃N³⁶Cl, and Li³⁶Cl were analyzed using the Acree equation. The equivalent conductance of LiCl in acetonitrile was determined. The nature of the cation has no effect on the mechanism of the reaction. The cation changes only the experimental rate constant proportionally to the dissociation degree of the salt. Smaller values of the rate constant and smaller activation parameters ΔH? and ΔS? for the reaction with Li³⁶Cl indicate the existenceof the intermolecular interaction between lithium ions and O,O-diphenylphosphorochloridothionate.     

Measurement of the neutron capture cross-section of 238U using the neutron activation technique

The ²³⁸U(n, ??)²³⁹U reaction cross-section at average neutron energy of 3.7?±?0.3?MeV from the ⁷Li(p, n)⁷Be reaction has been determined using activation and off-line ??-ray spectrometric technique. The ²³⁸U(n, ??)²³⁹U and ²³⁸U(n, 2n)²³⁷U reaction cross-sections at average neutron energy of 9.85?±?0.38?MeV from the same ⁷Li(p, n)⁷Be reaction have been also determined using the above technique. The experimentally determined ²³⁸U(n, ??)²³⁹U and ²³⁸U(n, 2n)²³⁷U reaction cross-sections were compared with the evaluated data of ENDF/B-VII, JENDL-4.0, JEFF-3.1 and CENDL-3.1. The experimental values were found to be in general agreement with the evaluated value based on ENDF/B-VII, and JENDL-4.0 but not with the JEFF-3.1 and CENDL-3.1. The present data along with literature data in a wide range of neutron energies were interpreted in terms of competition between different reaction channels including fission. The ²³⁸U(n, ??)²³⁹U and ²³⁸U(n, 2n)²³⁷U reaction cross-sections were also calculated theoretically using the TALYS 1.2 computer code and were also found to be in agreement experimental data.     

Study on the Horizontal Transport of Some Radionuclides in the Wieprz River Valley

A horizontal transport of radionuclides was studied by the analysis of the radioactivity of the surface soil samples from valleys of Wieprz river and its bottom sediments. Natural gamma-isotopes (⁴⁰K, ²³⁸U and ²³²Th series) antropogenic (¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs) and alpha-isotopes ²³⁸Pu and ^239,240Pu were measured. The different kind of bed rock and terrain configuration, influenced the radionuclide transportation from the soil to river bottom sediments. Radioactivity of the sediment samples is definitely lower than the soils. Very strong adsorption of isotopes in soil hinders their horizontal migration. Calculated ²³⁸Pu/^239,240Pu ratio is characteristic for global fallout and about 90% of the ¹³⁷Cs comes from Chernobyl.